HALF THE WORLD AWAY
ii. FIRST IMPRESSIONS
❝I AM PRINCESS KATRINA OF MERIDIAN.❞

"PRINCE THOR IS DEFINITELY A MARVEL," were the first words that left Queen Hira's lips when she entered Katrina's bedroom. Her brown eyes wandered to her daughter, Katrina, and Alis — the latter helping Katrina tighten her corset. Katrina winced when she felt the corset put pressure onto her ribs. She despised the times where she was forced to wear a corset, but there wasn't much that she could do about it. It had been almost two hours since Katrina had started getting ready with Alis' help and she couldn't wait till she was able to take everything off. "Oh, my darling, you look beautiful."

Not a single word of acknowledgment escaped Katrina's lips as she kept her eyes locked on the window instead. She knew that her mother meant well, but she couldn't ignore the fact that her parents had made a life-changing decision without her. Of course, she had agreed to become Prince Thor's wife, but she still felt bitter. Queen Hira, her mother, was almost two thousand years old and had accomplished a lot in her long life. However, her mother hadn't been born into royalty. Queen Hira had been born to a school teacher named Rashi, but she had been forced to grow up without a mother when Rashi had died during childbirth. For a thousand years or so, Hira had worked hard in the community and had become one of the largest social figures — other than the royal family. It wasn't long until she had caught then Prince Arman's attention. The two had fallen in love and after two hundred years, Katrina had been born. Katrina admired her mother's resilience and her ability to adapt to any situation that the world threw at her, but she wished that she had been blessed with the same abilities. Finally, Katrina looked at her mother. "Have they arrived yet?"

"Yes, they have," her mother replied as she offered Katrina a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes — they never did. Queen Hira watched carefully as Alis finished the final touches on Katrina's royal blue dress before she moved onto her hair. "Currently, they're all in the throne room — trying to come up with some sort of compromise to end this feud."

Alis pulled Katrina's hair back into a loose bun and pinned it there with a couple of bobby pins. It was a bit awkward with Katrina's mother in the room since the two girls would probably be engaged in a conversation, but it was silent instead. Alis left a few strands out to frame Katrina's face before she looked back to admire her handiwork. Alis gave Katrina and Queen Hira a smile, "I'm all done."

"Thank you, Alis," Katrina said as she watched Alis head for the door. She almost wanted Alis to stay so she wouldn't have to be alone with her mother. But, Katrina knew that she couldn't avoid the upcoming conversation forever.

Queen Hira stood from the bed and made her way towards her daughter. She placed a gentle hand on Katrina's shoulder as she took in her daughter's expression that reflected back in the mirror. "You are my greatest joy, Katrina," Queen Hira whispered softly as her eyes glistened with unfallen tears, but she was quick to compose herself. "I wish I could keep you safe in my arms forever, but you will be much safer on Asgard. Meridian will fall — soon if we remain on this path. Your marriage with Prince Thor will not only benefit you but our kingdom as well. You understand why we have to do this, right?"

Katrina numbly nodded as she allowed her mother's words to soak in. She loved her mother with all her heart, but Queen Hira would never truly understand what Katrina suffered through every single day. Regardless, Katrina had an obligation to her kingdom since they suffered a fate worse than her's. At one point, Meridian used to be a beautiful and peaceful planet — a true marvel of the universe — but now, they were starving and evil plague their lands. With a steady alliance with Asgard, Meridian had a chance to become what it used to be. Princess Katrina knew that she had to do this for her people.

"I love you very much, my flower," Queen Hira whispered softly as she stood on her toes to give Katrina's cheek a kiss.

Katrina wrapped her arms around her mother and gave her a tight hug. Queen Hira immediately returned it as she lightly rubbed Katrina's back. No matter what happened, Katrina would always cherish her mother for everything that she had given her. "I love you so much more, Mama."

Queen Hira let out a laugh — one that was a mixture of both happiness and sadness, bittersweet — as she pulled away from the hug. "I don't know what I did to be blessed with a daughter like you," She whispered softly as she tucked the loose strand of Katrina's hair behind her ear. "Prince Thor should be waiting for you in the parlor. I just know that he's going to fall in love the second he lays his eyes on you."

After that, Queen Hira left her daughter's room to join her husband in the negotiations with Asgard. Katrina stared at her reflection and all she saw was a scared little girl who had no idea what she was doing. She took in a deep breath to calm her nerves, but it felt as if she was being held under water. Katrina tried to smile at her reflection, but it quickly disappeared when she remembered that Prince Thor was still waiting for her. However, she didn't feel ready to meet him.

"I am Princess Katrina of Meridian," Katrina whispered to herself as she gave herself a stern look in the mirror. She closed her eyes as she leaned against the vanity table — taking in jagged breaths. She felt dizzy almost as tried to steady herself. Too much was happening in such a short amount of time and she struggled to process it. "My name is Katrina, Princess of Meridian."

Katrina jumped when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder, but she quickly calmed down when she took in Alis' concerned expression. "Oh, Katrina," Alis whispered softly as she leaned forward and wiped the tears from Katrina's cheeks. Katrina hadn't realized she was crying and immediately felt terrible for ruining the makeup that Alis had applied — though, it didn't seem like Alis minded. Alis slowly wrapped her arms around Katrina and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here, Kat. I'm here."

"I don't know if I can do this, Alis," Katrina whispered softly as she felt the woman draw small patterns on her back — something that almost always calmed her down. Prince Thor wasn't what Katrina wanted in a husband. He was known as arrogant, rude, vain and self-righteous. Katrina could only assume that his personality would worsen over the course of their marriage and she would be unhappy for the rest of her days. She wanted a significant other who would be there for her and be able to bring a smile to her face. Prince Thor could offer her one thing — protection. Nothing else.

Katrina tried her best to keep herself composed, but she allowed herself to be open with Alis. She had always trusted Alis with her life for many reasons, but the most important one was that was always there for her. Around Alis, nothing else mattered — there was no curse, no diplomatic responsibilities, no fear.

"You know, Katrina, you have a tendency to always think of the worst scenario possible, but I think you should have a little more fate in your destiny," Alis began as she pulled away from the embrace, but still had Katrina's arms in her own. "With your marriage to Prince Thor, you'll become Princess of Asgard as well. Look, I am certain that Prince Thor will always keep you buy his side and he will love you unconditionally. He'll protect you from anything that wishes you harm. You will have a much better life than being trapped in this room for the rest of your life."

"What about the curse?" Katrina asked softly, a part of her didn't want to hear Alis' answer, but she couldn't just ignore the curse placed upon her bloodline. If Katrina truly wanted to, she could have left the castle many centuries ago, but she remained. There was no place in the universe where she could go hide from the curse. It would find her wherever she went.

"Pardon my language, Katrina, but fuck the curse," Alis spat out which caused Katrina to let out a few laughs — it was a rare sight to use vulgar language around a princess, but Alis had a different bond with Katrina. "You deserve a chance to be truly happy and that damn curse is not going to ruin it! Or, I will just have to hunt down Hela myself in Helheim and have a few words with her."

Katrina quickly placed her hand over Alis' mouth to stop her from talking — no longer in the playful mood that she was a few moments ago. "Alis, please, do not let the Gods hear you say things like that."

Katrina feared the possibility of a curse being placed on Alis as well — all it took was angering one god and then you and your descendants were doomed to a fate worse than death. Everyone in the kingdom of Meridian knew about the curse that Queen Hira had brought upon them. It had all started with Katrina's great-grandmother, Naina. It was a story that Katrina had heard many times. Naina was an Asgardian warrior — a Valkyrie — and was loyal to the throne, but fell in love with a man named Dillon, a Meridian soldier. Dillon and Naina were happy as they kept their love secret, but he was shortly killed by angry Asgardians and his soul was sent to Helheim to rot for the rest of eternity. However, Naina refused to let him go. With the help of some witches, Naina was able to be transported into Helheim and planned to get her lover back. But, she failed and was quickly caught by Hela. The Goddess of Death decided that Naina deserved a fate worse than death and cursed her and her bloodline to suffer for as long as they shall live.

Katrina shuddered slightly as she relived the details of the story. It still haunted her deep down since she was completely in the dark on Hela's true purpose for cursing her bloodline. She cleared her throat as she looked at Alis' calm expression. "Have you met Prince Thor yet?"

"Sort of? I caught a glimpse of him, but one of his companions, Lady Sif, had caught my eye instead," Alis sighed softly. Katrina's lips twitched upward at the dreamy look plastered across Alis' face. "I suppose Prince Thor is attractive though. He has a nice hearty laugh as well which is very contagious."

"—let's hope that his personality is as attractive as you say he is," Katrina mumbled softly. "Outer beauty will fade over time, but inner beauty will shine through the ages."

Alis placed a hand on Katrina's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I love you more than anyone can ever fathom, Katrina. I hope that one day, there will always be a smile present on your face."

Katrina leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Alis' cheek before she got off the marble floor. She extended her hand out for Alis to take and helped her off the floor as well. "I love you too, Alis. I want to thank you for all the centuries that you've spent by my side. I will never be able to repay you for the love that you gave me."

"Well, that's the thing about friendship," Alis started as she quickly fixed Katrina's disarrayed clothing. "You don't need to pay me back. Now, go save your kingdom, Princess."

With those words, Katrina left the safety of her bedroom and through the halls of the royal palace. She was grateful that she was given the liberty of being able to roam the castle, but she was usually supervised closely. Even now, countless members of the palace's staff wandered around her. They all knew that today was a big day for Princess Katrina and the rest of Meridian. It was the day that the fate of the ongoing war would be decided. Would Asgard and Meridian enter an era of peace or would they be ushered into another thousand years of bloodshed? It all depended on Katrina and she hoped that everything would work out in their favor.

Katrina rushed to the parlor where Prince Thor would be waiting as fast as her feet could carry her. She was already very late, but she still wanted to make a good impression on her future husband. She was sure that Prince Thor had never waited on anything in his life, but here he was, waiting for his future wife to arrive. When Katrina arrived at the parlor doors, she peeked inside to see a total of five people inside — four men and one woman. She assumed that the woman was Lady Sif since Alis had been talking about her earlier, but she did not know which one was Thor.

Her heart began to race as she heard laughter ring from inside. The dryness in her mouth was hard to ignore as she took a couple of steps away from the door. She had to do this for Meridian. "My name is Katrina, Princess Of Meridian," Katrina practiced her greeting — the last thing she wanted to do was stumble on her introduction.

"No, no," Katrina mumbled to herself as she shook her head, not liking how uptight she sounded in that greeting. Her hands shook ever so slightly as she paced back and forth in the hallway. "I am Princess Katrina of Meridian. It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Thor. I am Katrina, Princess of Meridian, and I welcome you to my palace."

Katrina groaned at herself as she rubbed her temples. "Gods, Katrina, you sound so stupid!"

"I wouldn't say that talking to yourself is a sign of stupidity," an unfamiliar voice sounded which caused Katrina to jump. She looked to her right and noticed a man with dark hair that was combed back in a slick manner. He wore an outfit that consisted of the colors green and black — which matched his hair and eye color. He wore a grin as he began to approach Katrina. She narrowed her eyes as she took a step back. However, the man's grin didn't falter. "I will say that talking to yourself in an empty hallway is rather odd though."

"Who are you?" Katrina asked. She could scream for help and surely, Thor and his friends would come running to her rescue. But, Katrina felt compelled not to at that moment as she stared into the green eyes of the man in front of her.

"Loki," the man answered as he extended his hand outward for Katrina to say. She gingerly took his hand and shook it. Her father had told her that you could tell a lot about a person from their handshake — Loki's was firm yet gentle. She wasn't sure what that said about him, but it said something. Katrina was about to introduce herself, but he stopped her. "Ah, let me guess who you! Tiara, fancy dress, enough jewelry to feed a thousand men, you must be Princess Katrina of Meridian?"

"Uh, yes, that is correct," Katrina muttered as a nervous laugh escaped her lips. She took a step away from the man to create some distance, but it didn't stop Loki from analyzing her every move. She felt like a caged animal while Loki was the captor. She cleared her throat. "May I ask what you're doing here, Loki?"

"I came here with my family to see you," Loki informed as he offered Katrina an actual smile. Yet, Katrina found it hard to trust him. There was always a mischievous glint present in Loki's eyes that made her feel uncomfortable. "Well, I am sure that my brother is dying to meet you. He hasn't stopped talking about you for months—"

"Months?" Katrina asked softly. It was impossible. She had only found out about the arranged marriage recently while everyone else had known for months. Her heart felt heavy as she kept her gaze directed away from Loki's intense one.

"Yes, well, I should get back to my father and mother now. Though, their talk about war and trade is rather dull," Loki muttered as he began to walk away from Katrina. He glanced back at her and with a wicked grin, he stated, "it's hard to believe that our people have been killing each other for almost a thousand years. It's even harder to fathom that a marriage would solve anything, but what do I know about politics?"

With that, Prince Loki disappeared around the corner. She couldn't help but notice that Loki had not gone in the direction of the War Room where she assumed everyone would be. Yet, Katrina let it go and assumed that Loki would eventually find the right way. Katrina turned around and stared at the doors of the parlor and began to walk toward them. She placed her hand on the handle and a million thoughts ran through her mind, but she pushed them away. Katrina opened the door and immediately all eyes snapped toward her.

"Hello," Katrina greeted as her eyes swept over each of them and took in their appearances — their heavy armor and weapons stood out to her the most. Yet, she wasn't surprised. Asgard was a warrior race and everyone in their realm learned how to wield a blade. She offered them a smile as she stepped into the parlor. "My name is—"

"Princess Katrina!" one of the men interrupted her as he rushed forward as shook her hand. She tried to match his vigor, but the man was much stronger than her. Her arm fell limp against her side when he finally let go. He was bigger than the rest in size and height with a long ginger beard that reached the bottom of his stomach. "The tiara on your head gave it all away."

"It's nice to meet you," Katrina said as she gave the man a bow. He seemed to be kind — terrifying, yes, but his smile was warm that seemed to relax Katrina somewhat.

"Took her long enough to arrive," Lady Sif muttered to a man with long black hair. Katrina glanced her way and took in the woman's appearance. She was tall — a few inches taller than Katrina herself — with long dark hair that was up in a tight ponytail. She wore dark red that complimented her complexion and it was hard to ignore the weapons that she wore. Lady Sif forced a smile when she noticed Katrina staring. "We've been waiting for you to arrive, Princess."

"Right, I was held up and I, well—"

"Please, you do not need to explain yourself," another man interrupted her as he stepped forward. He had long blonde hair with eyes bluer than any ocean Katrina had ever seen before. He wore familiar armor to everyone else, but his held more detail and seemed to be made out of a special metal. His red cape stood out to Katrina since it seemed to be the only thing of color other than the man's eyes. In his hands, he held what looked to be hammer and Katrina frowned slightly. She wondered if this is what Meridian soldiers faced when they went to war against the Asgardians. "My name is Thor."

Katrina nodded. She was unable to form any words as she continued to stare at the bright smile on Prince Thor's face. Her eyes scanned the faces of the people behind Thor. They wore somewhat nonchalant expressions as they stared at their friend and the unknown Princess. She felt as if she was standing on thin ice. One wrong move would plunge her into cold water and suffocate her. But, despite her panic, Prince Thor seemed to be completely calm.

"These are my friends, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three: Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun," Thor introduced his friends as he pointed to each of them. His smile never left his face and Alis was right that it was very contagious. Prince Thor was an attractive man, but Katrina had yet to see his personality.

"It's very nice to meet you all," Katrina replied as she forced a smile upon her lips. She had to fake confidence if she wanted to survive this meeting. Despite them being in her homeland, they completely had the upper hand.

"I wish we could say the same," Lady Sif muttered softly, but it was heard by everyone in the room. Katrina's wall of confidence almost shattered, but she took in a deep breath and ignored the cruel words that escaped Lady Sif.

To break the awkward tension that filled the room, Volstagg moved forward and gave Katrina a warm smile. "I remember your mother mentioned a dinner, do you know when that would be happening?"

♡

ANOTHER CHAPTER IS REWRITTEN AND POSTED! Honestly, the process is much slower than how I would like it to be going, but summer is coming soon and I hope to have more time to write! I really want to finish this story soon because it is such a big part of my Marvel universe and it's harder to write the other stories with this one not being written fully yet. However, I will continue to post other Marvel stories in the ❝MADE OUT OF STARDUST❞ universe because I have over fifty stories to write! I need to really push hard these upcoming months to actually finish one day!

SOME INFO ON THE CURSE — I explained some stuff based on what Katrina has been told about the curse! Please, remember that the true nature of the curse won't be revealed until we get to the Ragnarok portion! (I know what the true extent of the curse is, but you guys will only know as much as Katrina does!) I have changed some things from the original version of Half the World Away, but a lot of it is mostly the same! Naina and Dillon's love story (which will be fully revealed in my Hela fic!) is based on Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Now, I've seen Ragnarok since 2017 Amara hadn't yet, I know exactly who Hela is and what she is like. I am able to plan this exactly how I want it! I am so excited to share more about the curse soon, but not yet!

ALSO, I watched Aladdin yesterday. I have to say that Agrabah is exactly how I imagined Merdian to be? I just see Meridian having more water, but other than that, it looks a lot like Agrabah does! At least, the kingdom that the royal palace is located! (Other areas on Merdian, are lusher and filled with greenery, but the area that Katrina lives in is sandy and beachy!) ALSO, I COULDN'T STOP THINKING OF KATRINA WHENEVER I SAW PRINCESS JASMINE ON SCREEN. SO EXPECT TO SEE A LOT OF ALADDIN REFERENCES THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.

— AMARA
(original) CHAPTER POSTED — 08.22.2017
(rewrite) CHAPTER POSTED — 05.27.2019